My problem is I'm such a prolific WRITER I have trouble carving out time to read, but I know it's incredibly important.  One of my favorite books is Stephen King's On Writing where he talks about carrying any kind of falling-apart paperback (good, bad, or exceptionally written) around with him all the time to continually study his craft (not to mention the railroad spike he used to nail the thousands of rejection letters he got to the wall).  That's commitment.  Thanks for the motivation Steve.  But, I do LOVE to read.  I've included some of my very favorite books below, and what I'm currently trying to read, listen to, or otherwise absorb.  Go on, tell me, what are YOU 🫵 reading currently? 

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CURRENTLY READING

Mating by Norman Rush

I’ve been told Mating by Norman Rush is one of those books you don’t just read—you sort of move in and occupy it for a while, like it takes over your mindset.  Who told me this?  Mr. Phillip of course.  He read it while we were in Africa and called it "brilliant, strange, wildly intelligent."  That was enough to intrigue me.  I hear it is packed with the messy anthropology of humans trying to love one another.  Umm, yes please?  

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CURRENTLY LISTENING

Privilege by Mary Adkins

I’m listening to Privilege by Mary Adkins right now, and ohhh, this one is pushing all my buttons—in the best, most uncomfortable way. Three women, one elite Southern college, and a sexual assault accusation that cracks open all the messy questions about class, race, power, justice, and who gets believed … this is exactly the kind of complicated human story I love getting tangled up in.  I chose this one because I've been following Mary Adkins' The Book Incubator for a while.  I just might use them to help me pitch my next novel to literary agents ... as Bruno Mars would say: "I JUST MIGHT!" 

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TBR (TO BE READ)

Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

On my list is Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, and I'm dying to dig into this one.  Maybe because we joke (a little) that I am "part trad-wife" for Phillip in that I just love doting on him.  (*it's a joke*)  But it does mean I am fascinated by the premise of this one: a modern-day trad-wife influencer suddenly wakes up in 1955, where the simpler life she’s been selling online turns out to be a whole lot messier when she actually has to live it. Nostalgia, identity, womanhood, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves about the “good old days” … yep, this one feels very much up my alley.  Beginning in 3 ... 2 ... 

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Some of My Favorite Reads 

Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

The Giver of Stars - JoJo Moyes

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

The Glass Castle - Jeanette Walls

Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver

Spark of Light - Jodi Picoult

The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

Verity - Colleen Hoover